Hey guys! So i am an instate CA applicant. I recently got into UCSD (Revelle) Undeclared after being rejected from Computer Science. My only dilemma is that i got accepted and committed to UIUC under their Computer Science program which is ranked higher than UCSD’s. However, i’ll be paying OOS tuition for that compared to UCSD. I can afford it but again, a huge difference between 30k and 55k plus UCSD is not even offering my direct admission into CS like UIUC is? What are some pros/cons and what would you do? If i choose UCSD, how will i get into CS?
UCSD may be very hard to get into CS. You may want to find out more from the department and other sources.
If you attend UCSD, would doing some other less competitive major be acceptable?
@ucbalumnus I dont see the point of going UCSD for a less competitive major considering the fact that I got into UIUC CS directly and its ranked higher than that of UCSD. As of now UCSD and UIUC each have a drawback due to direct admission into CS and the money factor. I heard that UCSD CS program is hard to get into, but do you know exactly what people do to get transferred?
There is no official indication of how difficult it is to get into the CS major at UCSD:
http://cse.ucsd.edu/ImpactedMajor
But there is a forum post claiming that a 4.0 GPA is needed:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/1881773-this-quarter-you-needed-a-4-0-to-transfer-into-cs-at-ucsd.html
You can try to transfer into Computer Science at the end of each quarter at UCSD. Admission is based solely on GPA. Prior to applying, you need to pass four courses: CSE 8B or 11, CSE 12, CSE 15L, and CSE 20 or Math 15A. The odds of getting in vary from quarter to quarter; it’s difficult, but not impossible. Other engineering departments have a similar process with different prerequisite courses. Many students also consider majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science, Cognitive Science or other related disciplines.
Last quarter, you needed a 4.0 in the four courses to get into CS, which resulted in heartbreak for a lot of students who got 3.7s, 3.9s, and even 3.98s. It’s easier some quarters, but honestly with the Revelle curriculum you won’t have as much time to spend on your CS classes or on HUM. UIUC is also a great school for CS and I’d stick with the acceptance there.